Color Swatch created using heavy application/diluted application and was applied on cold press watercolor paper (150 lb) material.
This color contains the following pigments:
PBk7—Lamp Black
Pigment Type
inorganic
Chemical Name
carbon
Chemical Formula
C
Properties
Lamp black is a very opaque, heavily staining black pigment that does not have much covering or tinting power. It is typically the most opaque black in watercolor form. Though a very pure black, it tends to muddy slightly in mixtures. Natural sources may be brownish or bluish in tone because of impurities. When used in oil paints, it is one of the slowest drying pigments, and should not be used in underpainting or applied in layers underneath other colors.
Permanence
Lamp Black is very lightfast and absolutely permanent. It is used in all techniques in permanent painting.
Toxicity
Carbon itself is not considered hazardous, however other combustion products that are hazardous are often present as impurities when Lamp Black is produced from natural materials. For this reason, commercial preparations of the pigment should be considered slightly toxic. Avoid skin contact and inhalation. Where such impurities are present, Lamp Black is a possible human carcinogen.
History
Lamp Black is a carbon based black traditionally produced by collecting soot (known as lampblack) from oil lamps. It has been used as a pigment since prehistoric times. It is the black found in Egyptian murals and tomb decorations and was the most popular black for fresco painting until the development of Mars Black.
Alternate Names
Carbon Black, Channel Black, Furnace Black, Oil Black, Vegetable Black. Flame Black is an impure version of Lamp Black. An alternate spelling is Lampblack, in which the first syllable is stressed and the two words are elided to form a closed compound.
PBr9—Van Dyke Brown
Pigment Type
earth
Chemical Name
n/a
Chemical Formula
n/a
Properties
Van Dyke Brown is a transparent brown pigment made from organic humic substances like soil, peat, or brown coal. Its transparency makes it more ideal for glazing than umbers and ochres. True Van Dyke Brown can turn dark or fade upon prolonged exposure to sunlight and has a tendency towards grey when mixed with whites. It is no longer used by artists concerned with permanence, and it has been replaced by mixtures containing Transparent Brown and Burnt Sienna.
Permanence
Van Dyke Brown was impermanent in its original varieties, but modern pigments by this name are generally more permanent.
Toxicity
Van Dyke Brown has no significant hazards unless contaminated with silica.
History
The discovery of this pigment dates from the late 16th or early 17th century. It was renamed in the 18th century after the great Flemish painter Anthony Van Dyke, who loved this dark, transparent color. Van Dyke Brown is made from treated Cassel earth with 80-90% organic materials and iron, alumina, and silica.
Alternate Names
Cassel Brown, Cassel Earth, Caste Earth, Cologne Earth, Terra di Colonia. Rubens Brown is a variety of Van Dyke Brown.
